Tubeless tyre practicalities

[Dwn]

Why does the bike industry seem to be presuming we all like them and producing more and more. Soon be hard to find normal wheels and clincher tyres.

Absolutely. I’ve always liked new things and new ideas but the more I’ve read about tubeless, the more reluctant I actually become. My epiphany this morning is just to get rid of the Fulcrum wheels and buy some clincher type wheels while they remain available. It’s annoying to write-off the cost of a fairly new set of wheels, but they just don’t suit my needs.

PS - many thanks to all the contributors to this thread. It’s often the experience of others, positive and negative, that helps make the decision that is right for you ( me, in this case).

 

[Mo1959]

Absolutely. I’ve always liked new things and new ideas but the more I’ve read about tubeless, the more reluctant I actually become. My epiphany this morning is just to get rid of the Fulcrum wheels and buy some clincher type wheels while they remain available. It’s annoying to write-off the cost of a fairly new set of wheels, but they just don’t suit my needs.

PS - many thanks to all the contributors to this thread. It’s often the experience of others, positive and negative, that helps make the decision that is right for you ( me, in this case).

I would highly recommend Spa Cycles to build you a nice set of wheels. They are very good at building them to your spec. I have a lovely hand built set that came on my Ti bike I got from them end of the year.

 

[chriswoody]

It's interesting to read about other people's experiences with tubeless ready wheels. I hadn't appreciated it before, but it certainly seems to be an issue with certain tire/rim combinations, that running tubes is a pain.

I must admit when I was initially running tubes and Panaracer tires on my tubeless ready wheels, they were a pain to remove. Not impossible, but definitely a pig.

Moving to WTB tires it's nigh on impossible, the seal is so tight. There must be a trick, but I've not worked it out. Thankfully the move to these tires has coincided with the move to tubeless. Aside from the moment when I realised that my rim tape wasn't airtight, I've never had to remove them in over a year.

Aside from topping up the sealant periodically and cleaning the valve out, there's no other maintenance needed and I've had numerous punctures that have all sealed with no stress.

To answer the original questions, I carry a mini pump, valve core remover, spare valve core and some tubeless worms/applicator thingy. On tour I'll carry a small pack of sealant and that's it.

As for tire burping, never managed it! I doubt I'll ever ride hard and fast enough to cause it, it's something I doubt will ever happen, so I've never worried about.

 

[geocycle]

Had my first tubeless puncture a couple of weeks ago. After a few goes it resealed itself and survived a few rides. Yesterday the Dent cobbles did for the sealant and pumping it up only lasted a few miles as I limped home. The sealant catherine wheel made a case for mudguards. It clearly needs a worm so had a go this morning. Locating the leak was easy but lining the tool with the hole precisely was slightly difficult. The worm went in ok but seems to be slowly coming out! If it doesn’t hold I’ll consider superglue or a bigger worm. A learning experience.

Ok, worm two, stayed in longer but no chance of inflating over 50 psi. Have decided to give tubeless one more go and ordered a new tyre. Maybe the puncture was unlucky and the sealant escaping through the sidewalls is really tyre sweat as Schwalbe have suggested to me.... If this doesn’t perform better it’s back to tubes.

 

[Chislenko]

Been running tubeless about two years. I now carry just a pump. If the sealant doesn't fix it I would ring the Mrs. to come and fetch me.

Thankfully both punctures I have had the sealant has worked.

After having a puncture, before my next ride I will take the tyre off, super glue the split then patch on the inside.

The tyres get easier to remove / refit with wear.

As others have said only maintenance is topping up the sealant periodically.